Email account hijacked

[davewr]

Emails with dodgy links are being sent from my Hotmail account to everyone in the address book.
It is some time since I last used Hotmail and don't recall getting anything suspect.
How do you think this has happened and what's the best solution? Is the computer infected or just the email account? Should I start a new account and stop using the old one?
Thanks.

[ummmm]

Change the password.

[beso]

Cntact Hotmail Someone has hacked your password.

Hackers try random passwords. Wiith millions of accounts they hit one sometimes.

Harden your passwords by including upper case. lower case, numbers and punctuation marks to at least eight characters.

[DTCwordfan]

this has happend to my bro in law on hotmail and I got a dodgy e-mail, so blatantly wrong as to my name, spelling and all the rest. However:

(i) as ummmm said and also beso's advice

(ii) use your address book to send out a warning e-mail about it and not to open the attachment.

My bro-in-law managed to infect his solicitors account! Hee Hee.

[ummmm]

It happened to me. I was sending out emails for diet pills and viagra.

[DTCwordfan]

there must be a bad pun in there somewhere - diet, viagra and being hacked.....

[davewr]

Thanks for the replies. I take it that after changing the password there won't be any other problems unless the new password is cracked. Is that right?